She never knew what love was
by skorpina18
Summary: Melia never knew what love was,until she met them. When a vision threatens to come ture,a deadly wound in made,that affects Shulk and Dunban the most. What will come out of all this? CONTAINS SPOILERS! DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T HAVE ALL 7 MEMBERS IN THE GROUP!


All her life,Melia never knew love,not from anyone. It was with his last breathe her father told her he loved her...it was the first time someone had showed love to her,or was it? In the time that followed,Melia realized there were many kinds of love. The love of your family,the love of your friends,the love of your land and people and the love of your partner.  
When Melia firstly met the group that was then made out of four,she thought that the feelings she had come to have for Shulk,were love,true love,but now,it seemed she had been mistaken... So Melia realized she was not in love with Shulk,but was more like a brother to her and sure enough,the blond boy seemed to share those feelings with her and for that,she was glad.  
Sharla,Reyn and Fiora were her dear friends. Sharla was the closest to her,but the other two were just as important. Fiora was a kind girl,always ready to help any and every way she could and Reyn...well,she may not show it,but he was important to Melia. He was very loud and most times acted like an idiot,but that was made him himself and the girl would not change him not even a bit.  
Riki...he was more than her brother,she wasn't sure what he was,but the Nopon always helped her out and understood her the best. She held him close to her heart and would die to protect him,just like everyone else.  
And then...there was Dunban,the Hero of the Homs,previous wielder of the Monado,a fighter,a leader. Kind and strong,good with words and short to the point,a true man with a great heart,dedicated and hard working,selfless and modest. Even though she knew all that,Melia did not know what to call him,or label him as. He was more than a friend,but not her brother. He wasn't like Riki,but not like a father either. What was he to her? She wasn't sure...after all,all her life,Melia never knew love.

The sun had come up a while ago and the group of seven was up and running no later than it had.  
"We should head out"Dunban said,after everyone was done getting ready  
"Where to?"Riki asked,as they left the cave they had been staying in  
"We still have to take care of those Mechon we promised"Fiora reminded everyone  
"Then let's go,I wanna beat up some metal"Reyn said,cracking his knuckles  
"Let's do it"Sharla said and so,the group headed to the location they were told the Mechon were. Once they reached the location,they saw three Mechon. As soon as one of them noticed the group,the other two got alerted and also joined. With an attach from the biggest of the three,the group jumped at different directions and in groups took on a Mechon. Sharla and Reyn were taking care of one together,that was luckily the weakest of the three. Shulk,Fiora and Riki took on the one with the most defense and that was good,seeing as there were three of them. While lastly,Dunban and Melia took on the one with the most power.  
"Heads up!"Sharla called out,firing one of her attacks  
"Heropon beat monster!"Riki yelled,smashing the Mechon in the head  
All in all,the battle was going rather well. The Mechon Sharla and Reyn were fighting was almost dead,while the other two had lost over half of their health. Yet,things were about to get bad. Shulk's eyes flashed and he saw a vision,a very bad one. As soon as it was over,he tried to warn the elder swordsman,but another vision told him that if he did,the risk was even bigger. Having to deal with his own enemy,Shulk was slowly running out of time. He had to do something!  
"Melia!"He yelled making the girl turn to face him. Jumping away from one of the Mechon's attack,Melia made her way as close to Shulk as she could,without losing much distance from her enemy,making sure her each attack would reach.  
"Do something or Dunban is dead,7 seconds"He called out to her. Had no one had heard him but Melia? It seemed so,cause not even Dunban himself was trying to do anything besides attacking. Time was closing in,she knew even if she warned the man,he would not react fast enough. The Mechon raised his arm and was ready to attack. It seemed like a second lasted for minutes...was it some kind of new power of the Monado? Maybe something else? Melia didn't know,but she made it. Just as the Mechon was about to strike,she got infrond of Dunban,arms wide open,protecting him from the attack. Just as it made contact with her body,she flew off and crashed against a wall and time froze.  
"Melia!"Dunban screamed on top of his lungs,eyes wide with horror,causing everyone to pause and look over at him,and then the cloud of dust that had rose up when Melia hit the rocky surface.  
"Melia!"Shulk yelled loudly,as rage filled him. Glaring at the Mechon he was facing,he charged at it and cut it in half,like butter,before running to the one that had struck Melia,but reaching there a second too late,as Dunban had killed it,using his most powerful attack.  
The last of the Mechon had fallen a second before Dunban's scream came and all ran up to where Melia had landed. Dunban outrunning everyone,despite not being the fastest of them,followed by Shulk and Riki,then the others. As Dunban reached her,he kneeled down and slowly tried to raise her body enough to sit up. She was unconscious and had a huge wound from the Mechon that was all over her stomach,as well as a hit on the head,from the impact with the wall.  
"Oh no"Was all Shulk could say as he saw the body of the girl.  
"Melly!"Riki yelled,horror clear in his eyes as he looked upon her too pale body. A gasp came from the other three,as they reached them and Sharla's doctor instinct kicked in. Kneeling next to the Melia,she called upon her powers and begun trying to heal her,as she laid in Dunban's arms. Said man could barely breathe. His clothes were all covered in blood,his shirt most of all,but he didn't care,he couldn't care less about the stupid shirt.  
 _'Melia...why?'_ He wondered to himself,deep brown eyes filled with sadness and confusion. She could have pushed him out of the way,or pull him aside,why jump infrond of him?! The girl...she was important to him,too important. If he had to choose between having his right arm back and her just being alive,he would cut his arm off with his own blade.  
"We have to get her somewhere safe"Sharla told them  
"Is it safe to move her?"Fiora asked  
"No"Sharla answered,the word tugged on Dunban's heart"But if we don't move,it'll be even less safe,I managed to slow down the bleeding,for now,but we have to hurry"She added  
"I'll-"  
"I'll carry her"Dunban said,interrupting Reyn,who was about to say the same thing  
"Ya sure Dunban?"Reyn asked the older man  
"Let's go"The war hero said,ignoring Reyn,before he begun running back to the cave they had spent the night. Ahead of him was Shulk,who had not said a word the whole time,but was instead cutting through every enemy that was unlucky or stupid enough to get in their way. By the time they reached back blood had soaked Dunban's whole shirt from the stomach wound,that was now open again.  
"Put her down"Sharla ordered,as she pulled out a blanket and placed it on the floor. Dunban did as he was told,but did not for one second leave Melia's side.  
"Um...Dunban...your...shirt"Fiora tried to say,but found it hard and a bit awkward,seeing the look in her brother's eyes. Upon hearing Fiora's words,Dunban ripped his shirt off of his body,eyes never leaving Melia's face  
 _'He never seemed this upset before...ever'_ Fiora thought to herself,seeing her brother like that  
"Riki,I need your help!"Sharla said  
"Riki here!"The Nopon said,rushing to the woman's side  
"I really didn't want to do this,but I have no there choice,her head wound is mostly healed up,but the wound on her stomach just won't stop bleeding no matter what I do"Sharla explained  
"What Riki do?"Riki asked the medic  
"I need you to use your ether to heat this up"Sharla answered,giving Riki a long,thin,flat piece of metal,healed by a wooden handle"I'll burn the wound to make the bleeding stop,it's the only way to heal her up"She added  
"Isn't this...painful?"Reyn asked  
"Very"Sharla answered honestly  
"Okay,Heropon do it"Riki said and using his ether magic,summoned up a flame to heat up the metal. When it was hot enough,Sharla told him to stop and took the metal from him,by the handle. She then quickly brought it near the wound and begun to burn it...then it got ugly. Melia,still unconscious,begun screaming in pain and agony,making Dunban almost burst into tears and shivers to run down his spine.  
"Hold her down!"Sharla ordered,but Dunban didn't to move an inch. Instead,Reyn went and held her legs,while Rick held her arms.  
"It took a few minutes,but it was finally done and the screaming stopped.  
"I have to heal it immediately"Sharla said and let the metal aside. Everyone was asked to leave and Fiora,Riki and Reyn went to leave,but Dunban did not even blink and...wait...where is Shulk?  
"Where did Shulk go?"Reyn asked  
"He was here when Riki heated up the metal"Fiora answered  
"Friends go find Shulk"Riki said and he with the other two got going to find the boy.  
Sharla would have said to Dunban to leave as well,but aside knowing it was pointless,the look in his eyes told her much more than his voice ever could and so,she let him stay,smiling a bit at the view of him running his hand through Melia's locks,without ever realizing it. She then called upon her ether powers and then begun healing the wound.

"Where could he be?"Fiora sked the others as she looked around  
"Hey,look!"Reyn said,pointing to some random monsters that had gathered up,Shulk right there infrond of them,fighting. The three watched in shock as he killed each one with little effort,before moving on to the next,not stopping,until all eight of them were dead. The three walked over to him,but he just ignored them.  
"Shulk,what's wrong?! Talk to us!"Fiora yelled at him  
"Friends upset Melly hurt too!"Riki yelled as well,but nothing seemed to snap him.  
"Look,you guys go,I'll talk to him"Reyn told the others who slowly agreed,before leaving the boys alone. When they were far enough,Reyn walked over to Shulk and put and hand on the blonde's shoulder. Shulk turned around and Reyn got shocked,as he looked at he empty look in his blue eyes.  
"Come on,let's sit"Reyn said and sat against a tree,pulling Shulk down with him,his arm going around small shoulders,pulling the pained boy close  
"I..."Shulk finally begun after a few moments of silence"I saw it"He said"I saw the attack was going to happen"  
"The attack on Melia?"Reyn asked  
"It was meant for Dunban,I told Melia cause if I told him,a different,worse attack would hit him"Shulk explained  
"Hey"Reyn begun,getting where this was going"This is,by no means,your fault,you hear me?"He said  
"It is Reyn!"Shulk yelled lightly,tears wanting to run down his face,but he didn't let them"It is"He said again"And I'll never forgive myself if she..."He added,but trailed off  
"Everything is going to be okay Shulk,Sharla is the best and Melia ain't a push over,no way she's going to go down like that"Reyn tried to comfort the blond  
"I hope you're right Reyn"Shulk said,slowly calming done  
"Of course I'm right,you'll see,Melia will be up and running before you know it"Reyn told the boy with a smile. The two sat there for a while,until Shulk was calm down some more.  
"Ready to get back?"Reyn asked  
"Yeah"Shulk agreed  
"Come on"Reyn said,helping Shulk up  
"Reyn"Shulk called out,as they begun walking back  
"Yeah?"Reyn asked  
"Thank you"Shulk said,a small smile on his lips  
"Anytime,that's what I'm here for"Reyn said with a thumbs up. Once they made it back,they saw that Melia was no longer being treated by Sharla and said girl was drinking up some water,while Dunban ran his hands through Melia's hair.  
"So?How is she?"Shulk asked Sharla as she walked over to them  
"She'll make it,but she won't wake up for the next couple of hours,so we're not going anywhere"Sharla answered and both boys let out a sigh of relief  
"Thank Bionis"Shulk said,as they walked back out of the cave  
"What about Dunban?"Reyn asked  
"He hasn't said anything since he offered to carry Melia back here and he's been like that since you guys left"Sharla answered  
"He's not blaming himself,is he?"Reyn asked again  
"I'm sure he is,but that alone is not enough reason for how upset he is"Fiora said,as she walked over to them with Riki  
"Dundun care for Melly"The Nopon said  
"We all do,Riki"Sharla said  
"No,no,no,no,no,Dundun care for Melly like Riki for wifepon"Riki said back  
"Dunban...likes Melia?"Reyn asked surprised  
"Yup,yup!"Riki said,spinning around  
"I'd have never thought of that"Shulk said,glancing over at the war hero inside the cave"But he does look devastated"He added  
"We need wood,water and food,we should go get those while the sun's still out"Sharla said to the rest. They all got a task and took off,letting Dunban know before they do. It didn't really take that long for them to finish their tasks and soon everyone was back. The rest of the day passed by in the same way and not once did Dunban move,not to eat,not to drink.

When night fell,everyone went to sleep,aside the war hero  
"I'll keep watch"He said in a sore voice,having not said a word the whole day. Shulk tried to protest,but Sharla put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. After everyone was asleep and Dunban was alone,he finally let go and broke down. Tears begun running down his face as he silently sobbed. Dunban never cried,that's what everyone thought,but it was obviously not true,every body cried sometimes.  
At that moment,Dunban felt weak. Melia had protected him,risking her own life,she almost died by all the blood she'd lost...all so she could keep him safe. What drove her to do that? Dunban didn't know. Over time,he had grown to have feelings for the girl. She was strong,in a way no one he knew had ever been before. She was kind and modest,someone to relay on,a true ruler. But was that what had attracted him to her? No...it was much more that that...maybe it was the way she smiled,or how she was always trying to be strong for everyone,even in the hardest of moments. Dunban chuckled lightly at his own thoughts. He didn't know what made him like her he said,yet he had just thought up so many reasons and he could think many more,he was sure. He had never expected to fall for someone,much less someone like Melia  
 _'But I guess that's how love works_ ' He thought to himself.

An hour or two more passed,the fire was still going,but not for much longer... Lost in his thoughts,Dunban almost didn't realize the slight movement in Melia's body...almost.  
Surprised and beyond glad to see that Melia was okay,Dunban slowly helped the girl sit up.  
"Wh-where are we? What happened?"Melia asked,hand reaching out for head pulsing head  
"You're awake"Dunban said simply,a smile on his lips as a lone tear trailed down his face.  
"D-dunban...what's wrong?"Melia asked,shocked at the sight of a tear  
"You almost died Melia"Dunban told her. Just then,a flash of memory came over her and she remembered how she jumped infrond of Dunban.  
"So I made it...I'm glad"Melia said with a smile,resting back against Dunban. A low sound came from him and Melia immediately shot up,thinking she had somehow hurt him  
"Why did you do it?"Dunban hissed lowly  
"What do you mean?You could have died!?"Melia said lowly  
"And so could you!"Dunban pointed out,tone never getting louder  
"Well,I had to do something to help"Melia said back  
"And jumping in seemed to be the best idea how?"Dunban wondered  
"There was no other way,trust me"Melia explained,then darted her eyes to the ground,avoiding Dunban's gaze"I couldn't stand the thought of losing yet another person I hold dear"She whispered even lower. Surprise and shock came over Dunban,making him freeze in place for a few seconds. Melia made to move away from him,but a strong arm wrapped around her,pulling her in his bare chest  
"And what makes you thing I could?"The man asked,voice deep,filled with emotions  
"D-dunban..."Melia trailed off,not knowing what to say  
"I care for you Melia,a lot more that I could ever put into words...if I lost you from this...I would have never been able to forgive myself"Dunban explained  
"M-me too Dunban,I care about you a lot. I am...still learning about love,but I know that...I want to discover it with you"Melia confessed,looking up to finally meet his gaze. At that moment,with the fire burning out,Dunban leaned down and kissed the girl in his arms softly. Melia had closed her eyes,trying to capture the feeling of his lips against her own. When they pulled apart,teal eyes met with an amazing mix of blue and brown that only he had and like that,no more words were needed. He knew she loved him and she knew he would always be there for her. Melia let out a sigh and smiled softly,resting her head on Dunban's chest,as he placed an arm around her waist.  
With Melia in his arms,Dunban felt at peace,knowing that he would wake up the next day and she will still be there,this would be no dream.  
She felt safe in his arms,like a castle was built around her to protect her,knowing that he would let nothing and no one harm her while she was there,she was finally allowed to relax.  
And although it wasn't needed to be said,having kept those feeling in for so long had been hard enough,so now he could,he would tell those words every day to her  
"I love you"He whispered softly to her  
"I love you too"And she would tell him back...  
They fell asleep like that,first Dunban,since he had stayed up all this time and soon after,Melia followed,the beating of the man's heart lulling her to sleep. The next day would bring many questions,from all of the group and there would be hard times ahead,but they would face them together.

All of her life,Melia never knew love,that was until,she met _him_ and now,she would find out just what a beautiful thing love truly was.


End file.
